In Risalpur on Tuesday, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that peace in the area could not be assured until the dispute over Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan was settled.
“Let me be clear: there can be no peace until the Jammu and Kashmir issue is solved,” he said in his speech at the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Academy Asghar Khan’s graduation ceremony for officers.
PM Kakar said that Pakistan wanted to keep good ties with all countries, especially its neighbours, because it was a peaceful country.
He made it clear, though, that the country’s desire for peace “must not be seen as weakness.”
The prime minister strongly spoke out against the terrible human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He also said that Pakistan would not take part in an arms race and would instead keep improving its defences to keep any attack at bay.
The prime minister said that the geo-strategic environment was changing very quickly, which had a big effect on Pakistan and the rest of the area. “Therefore, the situation demands advancements in space networks, cyber technology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence,” he pointed out.
He was happy that the PAF had become more modern by using cutting-edge niche technology in smart ways and had made great strides in cyberspace and non-contact fighting by using its own methods. PM Kakar said that Pakistan’s armed forces were professionally skilled and well-trained to handle all threats from inside and outside the country.
“The nation holds our armed forces in high esteem for the sacrifices they rendered for national defence and for their contribution towards nation-building,” he told us. In tough times, he said, the brave armed forces of the country always showed a lot of guts to fly the national flag high.
“I assure you that as a nation we have surmounted challenges in the past and Insha’Allah, we will do so in future and make the country prosperous,” he stated. The prime minister praised the cadets who finished from the colleges of flying training and aeronautical engineering and told them that he was sure they would do their best work if they worked hard and were dedicated.
“Being the custodians of the PAF, you carry the hopes of this nation and must work hard to keep abreast with modern technology and trends related to modern warfare,” he said to the graduates. There were 148 General Duty Pilots, 94 Aeronautical Engineers, 104 Air Defence Officers, and 130 Combat Support Course Officers among the PAF grads.
Before, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, who is the Chief of the Air Staff, met with the prime minister at the site.
As the ceremony’s top guest, PM Kakar walked into the arena to the sound of bugles. The prime minister, who was in a PAF jeep, looked over the line of the well-dressed PAF falcon groups.
He gave the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Banner to the Champions No. 3 Squadron because they had done the best in every term. The prime minister also gave badges to the finishing cadets who had done great work in their fields.
Muhammad Moosa Jawad was named best pilot, Muhammad Ali Gohar was named best general aviation pilot, Sajid Sikandar Abbas was named best air defence pilot, Syed Saad Ali was named best combat support pilot, and Sohaib Saeed was named best aeronautical expert.
Aviation Cadets Ahmed Malik (for flying) and Sohaib Saeed (for engineering) were given the Swords of Honour. The prime minister saw an exciting flypast of groups of PAF jets, such as the Mirage, the F-7P, the JF-17 Thunder, and the J-10C.
